Saints defense must stand up to challenging Atlanta rushing attack

A bitter and physical NFL rivalry is renewed when the New Orleans Saints visit the Atlanta Falcons to cap off the 2025 season. Both teams have been eliminated from postseason contention for weeks, but each are finishing their season on a high note. The 6-10 Saints have won four in a row, their most since 2020. A 6-9 Falcons squad comes in as winners of their last three. These teams met back in Week 12, a 24-10 Atlanta victory in New Orleans.

The Saints have developed into one of the better defenses in the NFL. It's a unit that ranks 9th overall, 3rd in third down percentage, and has shut down most offenses they've faced down the stretch. Atlanta will counter that with an offense that ranks 13th in total yardage but 24th in points scored. The Falcons have been particularly effective with their running game, an area where New Orleans has struggled at times. As such, we'll focus on that aspect of the matchup with this analysis.

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Falcons Running Game

• 130.6 yards per game (5th)

• 4.6 yards per carry (10th)

• 17 touchdowns (13th)

Bijan Robinson is quite simply the Atlanta offense. He's accounted for nearly 150 yards per game, leading the league with 2,255 scrimmage yardage. Robinson has 1,445 rushing yards, averaging 5.3 per carry with 7 touchdowns and five 100-yard rushing games with seven more with at least 70 yards on the ground. He's a lethal threat outside the numbers, but also has the power and vision to slice off big gains between the tackles.

Tyler Allgeier actually has more rushing touchdowns than Robinson with a team-high 8 rushing scores. Allgeier is a pure power runner that has 498 rushing yards. He's typically used in short yardage situations, but provides a legitimate running threat to allow the Falcons to split Robinson out wide as a receiver.

Saints Run Defense

• 125.1 yards per game (23rd)

• 4.1 per carry (8th)

• 12 touchdowns (7th)

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Yes, New Orleans has given up some yardage on the ground. However, the yards per carry against them indicates a significant improvement over the previous two seasons. Additionally, the Saints have often dominated the line of scrimmage and have made some significant stops on big third and fourth downs over the second part of this year. Up front, the Saints will likely be without end Bryan Bresee (knee) for the second straight week. Nathan Shepherd also missed practice early in the week with leg injuries. His status is worth monitoring as Sunday approaches. Bresee and Shepherd are the team's most disruptive down linemen. However, the front rotation of John Ridgeway, Jonathan Bullard, Jonah Williams, and Davon Godchaux have come up with some quality stops since the midway point of the season.

Cameron Jordan and Chase Young have played exemplary run defense on the edge. This is nothing new for Jordan, with 13 tackles for loss, has more than shown he's got plenty of quality football left. For Young, he's playing the best football of his career and has never been better against the run. Their play has allowed defensive backs Alontae Taylor, Jonas Sanker, and Justin Reid to be more aggressive against the run at the line of scrimmage. Taylor is second on the team with 79 tackles, with his 6 stops for loss tops among the defensive backs.

Linebacker Demario Davis has 137 tackles in 2025, the most of his outstanding 14-year career. More than just terrific numbers, Davis has elite instincts, anticipation, and tenacious pursuit of the ball that is the key to the entire defense. He's complemented at linebacker by a solid run-stopper in Pete Werner, but Werner has given way to more snaps to physical rookie Danny Stutsman, who looks like he has a bright future at the position.

During their late November meeting against Atlanta, the Saints held the Falcons to just 13 first downs but struggled to stop the running game of the rivals. Allgeier had 44 yards, while Bijan Robinson had 70 yards on the ground and another big 32-yard reception off a short pass. Robinson has 186 rushing yards and a 5.5 average per carry in his last two meetings against New Orleans. The Saints must cut significantly back on those numbers if they have a realistic chance at sending their bitter rivals down to defeat.

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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints vs. Falcons preview: Atlanta run game will be a challenge